USFL completes alignment for 2023 season

USFL completes alignment for 2023 season

The USFL will play at four locations during its second season after the league announced its plans for Detroit on Thursday.

The USFL’s Michigan Panthers and Philadelphia Stars will play their home games at Ford Field in Detroit in 2023 while training and practicing in the area, too.

Detroit joins Birmingham, Memphis and Canton, Ohio, as the host cities for the USFL this season.

The USFL played its entire 40-game regular season in Birmingham last year, and the Alabama city’s Protective Stadium will remain the home base for the defending league champion Birmingham Stallions and the New Orleans Breakers in 2023.

The USFL also assigned the Memphis Showboats, who played as the Tampa Bay Bandits last year, and the Houston Gamblers to Memphis, where they will play their home games at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium.

Wednesday brought the announcement that the Pittsburgh Maulers and New Jersey Generals would play their home games at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton, where the USFL staged its playoff games last season.

Michigan was a charter member of the original USFL, which played from 1983 through 1985. Those Panthers lasted two seasons and defeated the Stars 24-22 in the league’s first championship game on July 17, 1983.

At that time, Michigan played in the Pontiac Silverdome, the home of the Detroit Lions. Now the current Panthers also will be playing on the Lions’ home field.

“We’re back,” said Daryl Johnston, the USFL’s executive vice president of football operations. “With the help of some great partners, the USFL is making history by announcing that the Michigan Panthers have returned home in 2023 to play at Ford Field. The USFL is proud to be part of the revitalization of downtown Detroit, and we’re excited about turning up the Motown music and firing up a fan base for professional spring football in Michigan.”

In the USFL’s return in 2022, the Panthers posted a 2-8 record. The Stars went 6-4 and lost to the Stallions 33-30 in the USFL title game on July 3.

The USFL has not announced its schedule for the 2023 season, but the league’s second campaign is expected to kick off on April 15.

Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.